DRUG 

ENDANGERED 

CHILDREN

Guide for Law Enforcement

FOR DRUG ENDANGERED CHILDREN

DRUG 

ENDANGERED 

CHILDREN

Guide for Law Enforcement
This project was supported, in whole or in part, by cooperative agreement number 2010-CK-WX-K014 and cooperative agreement 

2013-CK-WX-K001 awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The opinions 

contained herein are those of the author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the 

U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific individuals, agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement 

discussion of the issues. 

The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in 

constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the COPS Office can vouch for their current validity.

Recommended citation:

National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. 2020. Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement. Washington, 

DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

First published 2013

Revised 2015

Second edition 2020
Contents

Message from the COPS Office Director

.......................................................................................................................................

 ..........................

v

Message from National DEC’s President vi

Acknowledgments 1

The Drug Endangered Children Effort: The DEC Approach 2

Benefits of the DEC Approach 3

Expanded knowledge of and access to other disciplines 3

Enhanced and increased partnerships with other disciplines and agencies 3

Greater willingness of other agencies to provide information to law enforcement investigations 4

Opportunities to leverage information, knowledge, and services with other disciplines 5

Enhanced knowledge of evidence gathering.............................................................................................................

 ...................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................

 ......................................................................................................................................

 ...........................................................

5

Improved crime reporting and increased crime prevention 7

Heightened morale and job satisfaction 8

Challenges of the DEC Approach 9

Competing goals and priorities 9

Establishing buy-in 10

Limited training resources 11

Insufficient information about other discipline’s roles and responsibilities 11

Difficulties in measuring success ...........................................................................................................................

 ...........................................................................................................

 ......................................................................................................................................................

11

Core Elements of the DEC Approach 12

A common vision 12

Ongoing collaboration between disciplines 12

Ongoing change 14

Identification of children, substance abuse, and drug activity 14

Mandatory reporting 15

Evidence and information collection and sharing 16
Building and Participating in a Local DEC Alliance

21

Awareness 21

Implementation 22

Institutionalization 22

Protocols, MOUs, and bylaws 23

Other things to think about 23

Policy support 24

Steps for starting a DEC alliance

 ..........................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

 ..........................................................................................

24

Sustaining a Local DEC Alliance 26

Why is sustainability important? 26

How do we ensure sustainability? 26

What else can help sustainability? 26

Additional Resources Available from National DEC 28

National DEC’s core DEC online trainings 28

National DEC publications 28

Online resource center downloadable reports, articles, protocols, and other resources 28

DEC and substance abuse–related downloadable webinars 29

Social media information 29

About National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children 30

About the COPS Office 31
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement v

Message from the COPS Office Director

Dear colleagues:

It is estimated that more than 9 million children live in homes where a parent or other adult uses illegal drugs. The 

impact on children growing up while surrounded by illegal drugs is devastating. They are three times more likely than 

children in safer environments to be verbally, physically, or sexually abused and four times more likely to be neglected. 

It is not easy to find and protect these kids.

Fortunately, organizations like the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children have made great strides in establishing training and resources that help law enforcement, social workers, educators, community groups, and others track 

and assist children growing up within such tragic circumstances. We can provide a powerfully visible alternative to the 

neglect and violence that are part of the daily lives of too many children. We can reduce the incidence of children’s 

exposure to violence and neglect. We can intervene more effectively to help mitigate the long-term negative effects 

children face when they are exposed to this kind of trauma.

Identifying and responding to drug endangered children through trauma-informed approaches has not yet become a 

central part of law enforcement’s mission to serve and protect. The better the availability of training opportunities and 

tools focused on identifying and helping drug endangered children, the better chance we have of making it one. It needs 

to be clear that there is an alternative to the neglect, violence, and fear that is part of the daily lives of these children. 

This guide is designed to help you and your agency in collaborating with others in the community to identify and serve 

these children at risk and to make it a part of your daily routine. Every child deserves to grow up in a home that is free 

from abuse and neglect. Together, we can make that a reality.

Sincerely,

Bernard K. Melekian

Director

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
vi Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Message from National DEC’s President

Dear law enforcement leaders:

As the president of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC), I am pleased to introduce 

this guide for law enforcement professionals on how to effectively deal with the risks that children face when their caregivers are involved in drug activities or substance abuse. We know that law enforcement leadership in a collaborative 

approach to helping drug endangered children is critical to breaking the multigenerational cycles of abuse and neglect 

that we see too much of in our communities. From the many law enforcement professionals who are part of our national 

network of concerned and dedicated practitioners, we also know that implementing the DEC approach presents a significant opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of drug endangered children.

Incorporating the DEC approach into all aspects of law enforcement takes leadership, vision, commitment, perseverance, and creativity. The DEC approach is inherently a community policing approach under which law enforcement 

works closely with other disciplines and agencies to create effective solutions to the risks faced by children exposed 

to drugs and the often related violence and abuse. This collaborative approach results in greater resources, a broader 

perspective, and the creation of local alliances that have proven to be very effective in making sure drug endangered 

children don’t fall through the cracks of our criminal and child welfare systems.

Since its inception in 2003, National DEC has worked with thousands of professionals across the country to develop 

training programs that provide tools for reducing the risks of abuse and neglect of children in drug environments. We 

hope that this guide is another tool that will help that mission. It is intended to be a practical roadmap on how to take 

the knowledge we have about the risks faced by drug endangered children and use it to identify ways that we all work 

more effectively together to reduce those risks. This guide incorporates the collective experience of law enforcement 

professionals from across the country who have helped create and participate in local DEC alliances, which they firmly 

believe have significantly improved efforts to protect children in their communities.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this guide. We hope this guide is useful to you and we welcome your comments and feedback on how to make it as effective as possible for the work you do each day. We also invite you to participate with or help develop drug endangered children alliances in your state, tribal, and local communities. National 

DEC exists to help spread the DEC mission and help implement the DEC approach across the country. Please contact 

us if we can help: www.nationaldec.org.

Best regards, 

Chuck Noerenberg

President

National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 1 © pio3 / Shutterstock.com

Acknowledgments

The National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children 

(National DEC) is indebted to many talented, knowledgeable, and dedicated professionals who provided their time 

and expertise in the development of the Drug Endangered 

Children Guide for Law Enforcement. We would like to 

start by expressing our appreciation to the project’s advisory group that included law enforcement professionals 

from local and state law enforcement as well as child welfare professionals. The advisors helped direct the project’s 

format and practical information and reviewed the content 

to make it as useful to law enforcement and other practitioners as possible.

We would also like to thank Bernard Melekian and Ronald 

L. Davis, past Directors, and Phil Keith, Director of the 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS 

Office), U.S. Department of Justice, for their leadership on 

the drug endangered children issue and their agency’s significant financial and programmatic support for the drug 

endangered children effort and National DEC.

We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice for their 

continuing support in the effort to break the cycle of abuse 

and neglect of children exposed to illicit drug use, sales, 

possession, or manufacturing and other substance abuse 

and addiction. We would like to thank the COPS Office, 

which helped create the vision of a more effective law 

enforcement response to drug endangered children. We 

are grateful particularly to Deborah Spence of the COPS 

Office for her ongoing support and guidance to National 

DEC throughout the course of this project.
2 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

The Drug Endangered Children Effort: 

The DEC Approach

The DEC approach is a multidisciplinary strategy to 

change the trajectory of drug endangered children’s lives 

through a common vision, ongoing collaboration, and 

ongoing change. These elements assist in increasing the 

likelihood of better outcomes for children, families, and 

communities. This approach allows various disciplines to 

perform their job duties while also assisting in meeting 

the needs of drug endangered children.

Law enforcement professionals see the risks and consequences of drug activity and its destructive impact on 

children every day. With a focus on public safety, law 

enforcement agents are trained to identify illegal activity, 

which may include abuse and neglect of children. Within 

the DEC approach law enforcement is a crucial entity in 

identifying children at risk of harm due to drug activity 

as well as a crucial part of a system focused on helping 

children.

The DEC approach recognizes the likelihood of harm and 

the extensive risks that drug endangered children face. It 

creates a collaborative mindset among law enforcement 

officers, child welfare workers, prosecutors, and other 

practitioners in an effort to break the cycle of abuse and 

neglect. All disciplines play an equally important and vital 

part in the DEC approach.

The DEC approach recognizes that children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs are three times more likely 

than other children to be verbally, physically, or sexually 

abused and four times more likely to be neglected.1

 Recognizing that these children need earlier identification 

and intervention is the first step in assisting them and 

changing the trajectory of their lives. Law enforcement 

has a unique opportunity to be involved in children’s lives 

and make a positive difference.

National DEC’s “Children + Drugs = Risk” perspective 

and trainings recognize that law enforcement and other 

disciplines can perform a critical role in their everyday 

work by identifying children at risk, gathering evidence 

and information, and sharing evidence with other disciplines. Upon completion of the DEC approach trainings, 

law enforcement will have the necessary tools to paint a 

more complete picture of the child’s life and the potential 

risks they are facing. The information gathered will further serve to enhance and streamline the identification of 

services available for children at risk.

1. Jessica M. Solis et al., “Understanding the Diverse Needs of Children whose 

Parents Abuse Substances,” Current Drug Abuse Reviews 5, no. 2 (2012), 135–147, 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676900/.
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 3

Benefits of the DEC Approach 

The key benefit to children of the DEC approach is earlier 

identification and intervention, which will assist in breaking the cycles of abuse, neglect, and substance abuse for 

the next generation. This in turn gives children a greater 

opportunity to receive more timely and relevant interventions and services from other disciplines. In addition, the 

DEC approach offers law enforcement agents opportunities to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in their 

response to drug endangered children.

Opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness 

include the following:

● Expanded knowledge of and access to other 

disciplines

● Enhanced and increased partnerships with other 

disciplines and agencies 

● Greater willingness of other agencies to provide 

information for law enforcement investigations

● Opportunities to leverage knowledge, information, 

and services with other disciplines 

● Enhanced knowledge of evidence gathering, 

increasing law enforcement’s ability to file all 

applicable charges

● Improved crime reporting

● Increased crime prevention

● Heightened morale and job satisfaction

Expanded knowledge of and access to other 

disciplines

When law enforcement officers collaborate with experts 

from other disciplines regularly, they gain a greater understanding of the complexities, mandates, protocols, and 

needs of other agencies. This improved understanding 

generates very positive outcomes, including decreased 

frustration, increased officer safety, quicker response 

times, and more innovative solutions for successful collaborations on behalf of children.

Meetings and further contacts between law enforcement and other disciplines should include cross-training 

so each system understands the resources, policies, and 

limitations of the others. When agencies develop a collaborative mindset, their combined efforts begin to enhance 

the efficiency and effectiveness for all involved. Together, 

the disciplines develop new responses that would not have 

been identified in isolation. 

Enhanced and increased partnerships with 

other disciplines and agencies

Enhanced and increased partnerships between law 

enforcement and other agencies result from a recognition that multiple agencies have a common interest in 

serving drug endangered children and their families and 

that each brings a unique perspective and a unique set of 

information about the issues these families face. Through 

collaborative partnerships, the efforts of each of the agencies involved are enhanced and the overall efforts have 

the advantage of a richer picture and understanding of the 

lives of these children. 
4 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Greater willingness of other agencies to 

provide information to law enforcement 

investigations 

A common element for change is the recognition of an 

unacceptable situation. When the fact that “children + 

drugs = risk” is emphasized as a key consideration for the 

work of law enforcement, identifying children becomes a 

primary focus; this focus creates a new decision-making 

process by which relationships between professionals are 

built, disciplines collaborate, and information is shared. 

This exchange of information enhances law enforcement 

agents’ ability to make more informed decisions during 

criminal investigations. In turn, when law enforcement 

agents share their report and evidence, other disciplines 

are able to make decisions based on more complete information. More information leads to better decisions, which 

improves outcomes.

Discussion Points

Common elements for change, which lead to a greater willingness to share information, include a shared vision for a 

desired outcome, strong leadership, guided activities of many, and persistence. A shared vision of keeping children safe and 

providing intervention will break the cycle of abuse and neglect for the next generation.

• Do we share that common vision?

Each agency involved in DEC will have a unique mission with individual objectives. These should be generally understood so mutual 

objectives for the overall effort can be crafted without being in conflict.

• Do we have strong leadership?

Ensuring you have leadership buy-in will help keep the DEC movement supported in your agency. When participants engage middle 

management in the process, the middle managers can keep the entry-level personnel educated and trained. The middle managers 

can communicate up to the director about the successes of the effort.

• Do our DEC efforts involve the guided activities of many?

Certain agencies will generally be involved in the crisis intervention portion of DEC. For example, a law enforcement raid or arrest 

would cause an intervention at the point of family crisis. A child protective services referral investigation would be similar. Other stakeholders such as emergency medical services, victim assistance programs, and various mandatory reporters would all have roles in 

the initial intervention for families. At some point in the establishment of local DEC efforts, individual agencies should consider formally 

promulgating policies to reinforce DEC objectives. Multidisciplinary agreements can also be helpful in establishing the structure for 

multidisciplinary collaboration.
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 5

• Are we persistent?

The DEC response is an outstanding model of community policing. It started as a grassroots movement in 1993, when law enforcement began to recognize they were missing opportunities to identify children living in drug environments. Failure to identify these 

children as victims of abuse and neglect meant no services were provided to protect them. 

National DEC was formed in 2003 by these passionate leaders who recognized that to be successful, the movement 

needed strong leadership and national oversight to coordinate and leverage resources. National DEC promotes a model 

that calls for collaboration between agencies and coordination between the social and political systems charged with 

preventing, intervening in, and treating these cases. In short, National DEC promotes transformation or social change from 

the old response to a new response. There will be great success when identifying and protecting drug endangered children 

becomes part of our routine response and it is seen as everyone’s responsibility. 

Opportunities to leverage information, 

knowledge, and services with other 

disciplines

Implementing a multidisciplinary collaborative approach 

to helping drug endangered children greatly enhances 

the extent of information, the collective knowledge, and 

the awareness of services available to all the disciplines 

and agencies that are serving these children and families. 

Enhanced knowledge of evidence gathering

Insufficient information equals poor decisions, which 

equals poor outcomes, so it is critical to gather evidence 

of and information about abuse, neglect, or maltreatment of children when investigating drug-related crimes. 

If law enforcement agents fail to identify drug endangered children as victims, they will miss the opportunity 

to safeguard the welfare of the child and open doors for 

services.
6 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Most states’ child welfare agencies in the United States 

formalize the process of assessing risk and safety by using 

some type of structured decision-making process or tool. 

Risk assessment tools generally include broad categories 

related to abuse and neglect, behavioral descriptions, and 

procedures to determine levels of risk, all collected on 

standardized forms for recording this information. Safety 

assessment tools are used to assess the immediate safety of 

the children at that moment. Information from the family, child, and other disciplines as well as other sources 

are used for these assessments. Before child welfare agencies intervene with families, they are generally required 

to identify suspected maltreatment or the suspected risk 

of maltreatment. Therefore, the assessment of risk and 

safety is a critical part of child welfare agency work.2

As discussed in this guide, abuse of drugs or alcohol by 

parents and other caregivers can have negative effects on 

the health, safety, and well-being of children. Nearly all 

states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have laws within their child protection statutes that address the issue of substance abuse by parents. 

Two areas of concern are the harm caused by prenatal 

drug exposure and the harm caused to children of any 

age by exposure to illegal drug activity in their homes or 

environment.3

2. Amy D’andrade, Michael J. Austin, and Amy Benton, “Risk and Safety Assessment 

in Child Welfare,” Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work 5, no. 1–2 (2008), 31–56, 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19064444.

3. Child Welfare Information Gateway, Parental Drug Use as Child Abuse 

(Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s 

Bureau, 2016), https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/drugexposed.pdf.

While DEC efforts are not focused solely on the prosecution, identifying potential criminal charges can often 

be an important factor in helping children and families. 

Gathering evidence and filing charges related to abuse 

and neglect can give prosecutors the ability to influence 

terms of pretrial release, sentencing, probation, or parole. 

When the criminal justice system files criminal charges of 

abuse and neglect it may impact what happens in child 

welfare dependency court. When these two systems work 

together they strengthen each other’s response and their 

ability to identify the appropriate services for the child and 

the child’s family.

Here are seven reasons, outlined by the Association of 

Prosecuting Attorneys, why gathering evidence and filing 

child abuse and neglect charges can be an important step 

to breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect:

1. It can safeguard the welfare of the child.

2. It identifies the child as a victim for services.

3. It can influence terms of pretrial release, sentencing, 

probation, or parole.

4. It may impact what happens in child welfare or 

dependency court.

5. At sentencing, the court establishes sanctions and 

activities considered necessary for rehabilitation. 

6. Even if child endangerment charges are dismissed, 

the prosecutor can still ask that the court consider 

conditions relating to the child endangerment charge. 

7. Even if one parent or caregiver is not charged with 

endangerment, the prosecutor can influence terms of 

probation for the other parent.

National DEC’s Core DEC and DEC Approach trainings 

provide law enforcement with a better understanding of 

what evidence and information to look for and gather during their investigations and during other aspects of police 

work to identify drug endangered children. The training 

also provides tools to help officers document their findings 
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 7

in a way that describes the 

“life of the child” and not 

just a day or a moment 

in time. Ultimately, this 

will strengthen the case 

for each of the courts: 

criminal justice and child 

welfare, civil dependency, and neglect. This 

detailed information can 

provide other disciplines 

with information to support their involvement 

with the family as well.

Improved crime reporting and increased 

crime prevention

Identifying children associated with illegal drug activity 

or under the supervision of an incapacitated caregiver is 

a critical step in breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect 

and diminishing future criminal activity as well as preventing future substance abuse. This type of crime reporting will help identify the strong correlation between drug 

abuse and child abuse. More children will be identified 

as victims, and that identification will open the door to 

services that can help keep these young children out of 

the criminal justice system as juveniles or adults. 

Law enforcement is responsible for public safety and has 

always seen its role in drug investigations as it relates to 

supply reduction. Basically, take the drugs off the streets 

and arrest those who are distributing, manufacturing, 

possessing, or using illegal drugs. The drug endangered 

children effort has broadened the perspective to include 

demand reduction. By identifying the children who are 

at high risk of becoming the next generation of users, law 

enforcement can start the process of breaking the cycle of 

“children see, children do.” 

What is known to be true includes the following:

● Children of parents with substance use disorders 

have a higher likelihood of developing substance use 

problems themselves.4

● Children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs are 

three times more likely than other children to be 

verbally, physically, or sexually abused and four times 

more likely to be neglected.5

● Children who experience child abuse and neglect are 

59 percent more likely to be arrested as juveniles, 28 

percent more likely to be arrested as adults, and 30 

percent more likely to commit violent crimes.6

4. Laura Lander, Janie Howsare, and Marilyn Byrne, “The Impact of Substance Abuse 

Disorders on Families and Children: From Theory to Practice,” Social Work in Public 

Health 28, no. 3–4 (2013), 194–205, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19

371918.2013.759005.

5. You Can Help: A Guide for Caring Adults Working with Young People Experiencing 

Addiction in the Family (Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration, n.d.), https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/TrainingPackage/MOD6/

YouCanHelp.pdf. 

6. Janet Wiig, Cathy Spatz Widom, and John A. Tuell, Understanding Child 

Maltreatment and Juvenile Delinquency: From Research to Effective Program, Practice, 

and Systemic Solutions (Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America, 2003). Used with permission by Lori Moriarity.
8 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

● As many as two-thirds of the people in treatment 

for drug abuse reported being abused or neglected 

as children.7

● About 30 percent of abused and neglected 

children will later abuse their own children, 

continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.8

● It is estimated that between 50 and 60 percent of 

child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded 

as such on death certificates.9

● Approximately 8.3 million children—12 percent of 

all children in the United States—live with a parent 

who is dependent on drugs or alcohol.10

7. “Child Maltreatment Statistics in the U.S.,” American Society for the Positive Care 

of Children, accessed June 10, 2019, https://americanspcc.org/child-abuse-statistics/.

8. “Child Maltreatment Statistics in the U.S.” (see note 7).

9. Child Welfare Information Gateway, Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities 

2016: Statistics and Interventions (Washington, DC: Children’s Bureau, 2018), 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/fatality.pdf.

10. Child Welfare Information Gateway, Parental Substance Use and the Child Welfare 

System (Washington, DC: Children’s Bureau, 2014), https://www.childwelfare.gov/

pubpdfs/parentalsubabuse.pdf.

Heightened morale and job satisfaction 

By using the DEC approach in everyday law enforcement duties, law enforcement agents have the satisfaction of knowing they are an integral part of breaking the 

cycle of abuse and neglect for that child and for the next 

generation.

Instead of picking up a child who is sitting on the floor 

during an undercover drug investigation and thinking to 

yourself, “Unfortunately, I will see you in 10–15 years,” 

officers now see how they can play a significant role in 

changing the trajectory of the child’s life. 

After attending the Core DEC Train the Trainer Session, 

Tribal Police Officer Jayel Whitted with the Cahto Tribal 

Police Department in California wrote, “Throughout 

my law enforcement career I have felt like I was where 

I needed to be, but lately I’ve felt like I was meant to do 

more, but I didn’t know what. I now feel like not only do I 

know what I was meant to do but I feel like I have a good 

foundation to save children. Thank you!”
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 9

Challenges of the DEC Approach

Enhancing the response to drug endangered children 

requires changing some of the values, attitudes, and 

beliefs in law enforcement agencies. Any time changes 

are introduced to an agency, it creates challenges. Overcoming the challenges requires a comprehensive, longterm strategy as well as reinforcement until the changes 

become integrated into the agency as standard operating 

procedure. 

Some challenges are as follows:

● Competing goals and priorities

● Establishing buy-in 

● Limited training resources

● Insufficient information about other agencies’ roles 

and responsibilities

● Difficulties in measuring success

Competing goals and priorities 

We know collaboration can be challenging, but why is it 

challenging? One reason is that all disciplines involved 

in the DEC approach have different responsibilities and 

therefore different goals and priorities. For example, law 

enforcement’s goals and priorities are public safety—it is 

their job to investigate crimes and to file charges when 

applicable. Child welfare will have different priorities—

it is their job to keep children safe. These differences may 

cause each discipline to use different approaches to 

achieve their goals, which could make the road to a common resolution rather difficult. By working collaboratively 

and understanding the possible difficulties, each discipline can maintain their goals but work as a team in the 

best interest of the child. This in turn will have a greater 

impact than each discipline working separately in silos. 

Other reasons why collaboration is challenging—adapted 

from “Team Energy Drains” by Frank M. J. LaFasto and 

Carl E. Larson—include the following:11

● Relationship issues may arise when two or more 

members of the effort allow relationship difficulties 

or differences to determine their behavior rather than 

allowing the actual goal to determine their behavior.

● Control issues may arise when the question of who’s 

in charge becomes more important than what the 

group should do.

● Conflict may arise when those involved in the 

effort are in contention over what they value, how 

the effort should be defined, what behaviors are 

appropriate, etc.

● Efforts may be stalled when members doubt their 

ability to achieve the goal or have an impact or feel 

that too many critical factors are beyond their control, 

or they may adopt a strategy of going through the 

motions without changing anything.

11. Frank M. J. LaFasto and Carl E. Larson, When Teams Work Best: 6,000 Team 

Members and Leaders Tell What It Takes to Succeed (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage 

Publications, Inc., 2001).
© arindambanerjee / Shutterstock.com

10 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Discussion Points

• Can we be patient and understand that trust is earned? 

Several of the DEC stakeholders may find that they have a 

great deal of mistrust based upon old experiences and the silo 

mentality. Others may not have worked collaboratively with law 

enforcement in the past and therefore have never been able to 

cultivate trust. Trust must be earned over time, and patience is 

necessary to ensure trust is built.

• Does our DEC effort foster opportunities for trust? 

All multidisciplinary interactions are opportunities to begin 

building trust. The more often these interactions occur and the 

deeper the level of collaboration, the more rapid and meaningful 

the basis for trust.

• How does our communication system fit with building trust? 

Establishing feedback and conflict resolution will help build trust 

among stakeholders.

Establishing buy-in

Sustaining the DEC approach requires buy-in at many 

levels—including line-level practitioners, middle management, and executives—to help implement the transformation or social change. 

As mentioned previously, the DEC efforts began with 

officers in the field who were responding to drug deals 

or other calls and missed the risks to children. The buyin of the DEC approach by the officer is relatively easy 

because they are involved in identifying the problem and 

finding a solution. However, if the first-line officers don’t 

have support from their supervisor, that lack of support 

creates internal conflict. The officers know they need to 

do things differently, but the supervisor, who is one step 

removed, may be focused on other outcomes (i.e., drug 

arrest and drug seizures). If an officer is evaluated on drug 

seizures and arrests and there is no value placed on identifying children, it is difficult to justify time spent on DEC 

efforts. Officers have been recognized by their agency for 

seizing kilos of cocaine or heroin and thousands of dollars, 

but have they been recognized for identifying and helping 

children living in these drug environments? Supervisors, 

who are not exposed to DEC either in the field or through 

DEC training, have a more difficult time acknowledging 

that identifying and helping children is law enforcement’s 

responsibility. A critical step to sustainability is educating 

middle management about the DEC response. 

Front-line managers not only are in a unique position to 

show support for DEC but are also critical advocates to 

support the DEC effort. The front-line manager can work 

directly with the line officers to ensure the DEC protocols 

are being followed. He or she is also able to follow up on 

the many challenges outlined in this guide and demonstrate to the executive level leaders the positive benefits of 

using the DEC approach. It is crucial to get agency management–level buy-in for DEC efforts. Perceived lack of 
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 11

commitment on the part of agency management and 

leaders to enhanced victim response will weaken progress 

toward the goal. 

Discussion Points

• Which agency leaders do we know would be supportive of 

DEC? 

• Who can we bring to the meeting that will help communicate 

the DEC approach to the leadership?

Limited training resources 

To institute the DEC approach into a law enforcement 

agency, there must be consistent and ongoing training. 

Because of high turnover and job changes of personnel, 

it is also important to make the training available on a 

regular basis. Mandated training and fiscal concerns may 

impact an agency’s ability to provide adequate training on 

their own, so for DEC training, law enforcement agencies 

may be able to partner with other disciplines and institutions to maximize the training potential for all involved. 

These institutions could include police academies, prosecutors’ offices, child welfare trainers, and universities 

and colleges. At times, law enforcement agencies need a 

creative approach to providing ongoing training.

Insufficient information about other 

discipline’s roles and responsibilities 

Lack of knowledge of other disciplines’ challenges and 

responsibilities often results in limited access to information, specifically regarding drug endangered children. 

This lack of knowledge can cause frustration with other 

disciplines, which interferes with the development of good 

working relationships. When one discipline truly understands the roles and responsibilities of other disciplines, 

good communication and collaboration can begin.

Difficulties in measuring success 

Increasing awareness and the response to drug endangered children may very well lead to an increase in criminal charges for child abuse and neglect, which may in 

turn confuse standards of success. Because the reduction 

of the rate of crime has been traditionally used to measure 

effectiveness of law enforcement, agencies may need to 

reconsider and redefine performance standards around 

drug endangered children. One measure of success could 

be the increased number of children identified as drug 

endangered children during law enforcement investigations because of increased awareness, adherence to DEC 

protocols, and collaboration with other disciplines.
12 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Core Elements of the DEC Approach

The DEC approach only functions when all disciplines—

including law enforcement—support a common vision, 

ongoing collaboration, and ongoing change. 

A common vision

A vision is what a community values and wants to focus 

on and achieve over time. For DEC efforts, this vision will 

be bigger than one discipline, will benefit the children, 

and will take a sustained effort. This vision is important 

for law enforcement and other disciplines as it will provide guidance, keep people on track and focused, and 

ultimately bring professionals and disciplines together in 

DEC efforts.

Ongoing collaboration between disciplines 

Collaboration is a key component of the DEC approach 

and needs to be ongoing. No single discipline can effectively or efficiently address drug endangered children 

on its own, especially over the long term. Instead, the 

expertise and resources of multiple disciplines combine to 

improve interventions for children. Successful collaboration requires a working knowledge of how practitioners of 

other disciplines think, function, and define success. Professionals must join together for the DEC effort to truly 

be effective. The professionals who can develop an effective DEC collaboration include law enforcement, child 

welfare, prosecutors, judges, victim witness advocates, 

medical personnel, educators, first responders, treatment 

providers, probation and corrections, prevention specialists, day care providers, and firefighters, among others.

National DEC defines collaboration as “The exchange 

of information, altering of activities, sharing of resources, 

and enhancement of the capacity of another for the 

mutual benefit of all and to achieve a common purpose.”12

Collaboration can be simplified by saying “I make you 

stronger, you make me stronger.” Collaboration is often 

confused with networking, coordinating, or cooperating; 

these are all a portion of collaboration, but by themselves 

they do not necessarily make anyone involved stronger. 

When a drug endangered child is identified by law 

enforcement, a multidisciplinary response can be initiated. A systematic response by disciplines can therefore 

lead to a better outcome for these children. In the DEC 

approach, the way to sustain the efforts in helping children is to develop long-lasting collaborative relationships, 

with children as the common denominator.

Collaboration benefits include the following:

● No reliance on grant funding for sustainability

● No reliance on individual champions for 

sustainability

● Builds broad community support

● Allows for comprehensive intervention to address the 

needs of children

● Increased knowledge, better decisions, and better 

outcomes for children 

● Increased ability to share knowledge, information and 

evidence between disciplines and agencies

12. Chris Huxham, ed., Creating Collaborative Advantage (London: Sage 

Productions, 1996).
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 13

No reliance on grant funding for sustainability

Once the DEC approach is instituted within a law 

enforcement agency, it will become the way of doing 

business in the future. 

It does not require extra 

financial assistance or 

manpower resources to 

implement. DEC training 

should be the only cost, but 

that can often use agency 

training monies already in 

place. Other disciplines 

and agencies have similar 

opportunities to use existing training monies. 

No reliance on individual champions for sustainability

Again, once it has become the law enforcement agency’s 

operating norm it will become part of the law enforcement 

job function for all officers, not just the initial champions. 

Builds broad community support

It is helpful to get other community members and providers involved in identifying children at risk. Community 

members can be trained on identifying these children and 

giving the correct information on the child abuse hotline 

to help open an investigation. Community members may 

also be helpful during an investigation in providing more 

information about the environment of the child’s family 

and caregivers. With the proper community awareness 

and identification training, community members can be 

valuable resources and dedicated helpers for drug endangered children. 

The following are suggestions of additional disciplines to 

engage in the DEC approach:

● Victim service providers

● Advocacy organizations representing victim interests

● School systems, colleges, and universities

● Elected officials, including tribal council members

● Businesses

● Faith and cultural communities

● Media outlets

● Community residents

● Service clubs, e.g., Elks, Rotary, Kiwanis 

Allows for comprehensive intervention to address the 

needs of children 

It seems self-evident that the sooner that drug endangered 

children are identified and the less time they spend in 

these traumatic and harmful environments, the higher the 

likelihood that the intervention and treatment strategies 

will be successful. When law enforcement officers can 

identify children earlier, the children are able to obtain 

specific and targeted services earlier. Law enforcement 

officers transferring and handing off necessary information 

and evidence to the appropriate disciplines when children 

are identified will increase the children’s ability to obtain 

these specific and targeted services earlier. 

Increased knowledge, better decisions, and better 

outcomes for children 

When there is an increase in knowledge obtained by any 

discipline, there will then be an increase in the ability 

to make better decisions. With better decisions on behalf 

of children, there will then in turn be better outcomes 

for children. 
14 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Increased ability to share knowledge, information 

and evidence between disciplines 

The DEC approach allows law enforcement agents and 

practitioners of other disciplines to understand one another’s needs and share information where there would otherwise be roadblocks. This inevitably means that everyone 

will have the necessary information to be able to make 

more informed decisions for drug endangered children 

and their families.

Ongoing change 

The third element of the DEC approach is ongoing 

change. If things are done in the same way without making 

changes, we cannot expect a different outcome. Change 

under the DEC approach will need to be with individuals, 

disciplines or agencies, and communities. 

Discussion Points

What if we do not change?

• There will be delayed crisis intervention.

•	 Child abuse or neglect may continue.

•	 There could be no services provided or a delay in services.

•	 Child may suffer long-term effects from child abuse or 

neglect.

•	 Serious injury or fatality may occur to the child.

•	 Multigenerational cycles of abuse or neglect and substance 

abuse may continue.

Some examples where changes can be made quickly include 

the following:

•	 Identification of children, signs of children, substance abuse, 

and drug activity

•	 Mandatory reporting: knowing how and when to report

•	 Enhanced evidence and information collection and sharing

Identification of children, substance abuse, 

and drug activity

The early identification of children in all aspects of police 

work and in criminal investigations is key to the DEC 

approach. Children need to be identified as early as possible not only so they can be removed from unsafe living 

environments but also so they can receive earlier interventions and earlier services. Law enforcement officers often 

see children in ways that other disciplines may not. When 

law enforcement can identify these children as being at risk 

or unsafe, this often will trigger a collaborative response for 

the safety of the children.
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 15

For example, in a non-DEC approach a patrol officer may 

pull a mother over and issue her a ticket for speeding and 

notice that she smells of marijuana. The officer may then 

arrest the mother on drug-related charges and not notice 

or inquire about the car seat in the back seat and where 

that child may be. In using the DEC approach, this officer 

would be trained in identifying the car seat as an indicator 

of a possible child at risk due to the mother’s drug use. 

In the DEC approach, the child has a greater chance of 

being identified at the earliest point possible.

Likewise, law enforcement often can identify substance 

abuse and drug activity that may be impacting children. 

They are often involved with these families or come across 

situations involving drugs, so they can identify children at 

risk and provide help at an earlier point. It is important 

for law enforcement to be trained in drug identification or 

have drug recognition experts (DRE) to assist in identifying substance abuse as well. 

Mandatory reporting

Law enforcement agents are mandatory reporters and 

therefore are required by law to report suspected or known 

child abuse and neglect. But this can be a frustrating 

part of a law enforcement officer’s job. Knowing why it is 

important to report, how to report, and what to report is 

critical for effective mandatory reporting.

Underreporting is a serious problem and can seriously 

affect the well-being of children. First, what is not reported 

cannot be investigated by child welfare agencies. Second, 

children may continue to be at risk or unsafe without intervention. And last, the lack of reporting reduces knowledge 

for future interventions with the family. 

But what to report? Mandatory reporters, including law 

enforcement must be able to provide as much information as possible to child welfare authorities. Know “who, 

what, when, where, and why” when reporting. Be able to 

describe in detail your observations or concerns; this is a 

place where the more details, the better. 

For example, a law enforcement officer not using the 

DEC approach might call into the child welfare hotline 

to report that he was just in a dirty house where there were 

two children. An officer using the DEC approach might 

call into the hotline stating that he was on a call of a theft 

at a residence where he observed two children, ages 2 

and 4, that appeared to be very dirty. The inside of the 

residence was cluttered with trash, boxes, and clothes. The 

house smelled of rotten garbage and there were many flies 

inside the residence. 

The latter of the two stories provides more detail. It is 

important to paint a picture of the child’s life for child welfare to intervene on behalf of the children. 
16 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

It is recommended that law enforcement and other disciplines talk with their local or state child welfare agency 

for a list of the possible questions that are asked during 

the initial mandatory reporting call. This cooperation can 

help clarify the types of information child welfare needs to 

initiate an intervention. 

Evidence and information collection and sharing

It is difficult to understand how a parent or other caregiver 

could ever neglect or abuse a child and endanger their 

well-being with involvement with drugs. But whatever the 

reasons, it is the job of law enforcement to identify child 

endangerment and neglect or abuse of a child and to gather 

the supporting evidence and information. Because parental or caregiver drug trafficking and drug use puts children 

at significant risk of harm, when law enforcement agents 

find children living in drug environments, these risks warrant an investigation and the gathering of evidence. It is 

law enforcement agents’ charge to gather the necessary 

evidence of identifiable risks and potential harm to those 

children. 

While it is the law enforcement agents’ charge to gather 

necessary evidence and information, it is also their charge 

to share that evidence with appropriate disciplines. This 

can often include child welfare, probation, parole, civil 

courts, and medical professionals. It is important that the 

exchange of information go both directions; keep in mind 

that each discipline that encounters a child or family 

has one piece of the puzzle of the enhanced picture of a 

child’s life. Remember that not one discipline can do this 

alone; we need to collaborate in the best interests of drug 

endangered children. 
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 17

Questions to ask when looking for evidence of 

the risks to children 

Which professionals can look for signs and 

evidence of risks to children? 

Every professional who comes in contact with chil-

dren or their parents or caretakers has the opportunity 

to identify risks to children. These professions include 

the obvious: e.g., child welfare, law enforcement, 

medical, teachers and other educators, prevention 

and treatment professionals, and fire or emergency 

medical services personnel. But these profession-

als can also include the not so obvious: e.g., code 

enforcement, camp counselors, housing authorities, 

utility workers, and nurse-family partnerships. 

None of these professionals are likely to observe all 

of the signs and evidence of risks to children, but 

each may have the opportunity to provide a critical 

piece of the picture that could result in an interven-

tion for a child.

Why is it critical that professionals understand and identify risks to children?

● To be able to report to appropriate agencies 

(e.g., child welfare or law enforcement) 

● To allow for earlier identification, intervention, 

and services for drug endangered children

● To increase information and evidence for other 

professionals to help drug endangered children

● To enhance investigations and cases of all 

disciplines

● To enhance the capacity of each agency to 

better serve children

● To increase the likelihood of breaking the 

multigenerational cycles of abuse, neglect, and 

substance abuse
18 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

What can professionals look for?

● Signs that the individual has or is responsible for 

children 

● Indicators of increased risk of abuse or neglect

● Possible signs of actual abuse: physical, emotional, or 

sexual

● Possible signs of actual neglect

Signs of children living in the home

	 Child car seat or booster seat in car 	 Children’s drawings on refrigerator

	 Toys in yard or driveway of residence 	 Diapers or school papers in trash

	 Pictures of child on cell phone or computer screen 	 Child food items in trash (e.g. Graduate brand foods, 

Gerber containers, etc.)

	 Sidewalk chalk drawings at residence 	 Children’s items hanging in windows

Indicators of increased risk of abuse or neglect

	 Caregiver’s substance use or withdrawal 	 Impaired or intoxicated caregiver

	 Increased family stressors (e.g. loss of housing, 

employment, income; death in family; medical issues; 

birth of a child, etc.)

	 Drug users, dealers, drug cooks, parolees, 

probationers, sex offenders, or other unknown people 

in/around residence

	 Harmful substances within the residence 	 Caregiver has out of proportion anger/rage or has 

impulsive, erratic, or aggressive behaviors

	 Chaotic environment 	 Previously reported abuse or neglect

	 Caregiver has irrational thinking or other mental health 

issues

	 Child has behavior problems or is difficult to manage

	 Weapons/booby traps in residence 	 Domestic violence in the residence
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 19

Possible signs of actual abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual)

	 Unexplained injuries to the child 	 Domestic violence in the residence

	 Cuts, welts, bruises, burns or other marks on the child 

(e.g. belt marks, linear marks, bruising on or behind 

ears, black eyes, etc.)

	 Caregiver swears at, insults, puts down, or talks 

negative to child or about child

	 Child seems fearful of caregiver 	 Evidence of abuse to pets or other animals

	 Child has knowledge beyond their age of sexual activity 

or acts out sexually

	 Unusual markings on the child that are not easily 

explained 

Possible signs of actual neglect

	 Impaired/intoxicated caregiver 	 Unsafe living environment

	 Inappropriate caregiver 	 Drug buys occurring with child present

	 Inadequate or no supervision 	 Air quality issues in the residence

	 Controlled substance in residence 	 Exposed/uncovered/hazardous wiring

	 Controlled substance or other unsafe items accessible 

to child (Children often find ways to reach things that 

adults think are out of reach)

	 Child commits crime to support the caregiver’s drug 

use or to support the family due to caregiver’s drug use 

	 Lack of basic necessities (e.g. food, clothing, shelter) 	 Child is “parentified” – child takes on parental role (e.g. 

4 year old feeding or changing infant)

	 Signs or threats of violence (e.g. holes in walls or 

doors, broken furniture or other items)

	 Child witnesses or is present during caregiver’s 

criminal behavior (e.g. theft, robbery, assault)

	 Spoiled or moldy food 	 Child is dirty

	 Child does not react to presence of professionals in 

residence or when asked questions

	 Residence is injurious (e.g. very cluttered, garbage 

overflowing, dirty dishes scattered)

	 Child has untreated illness or injury 	 Health risks in residence (e.g. rodents, roaches, insects, 

feces/urine, soiled sheets/bed, etc.)

	 Educational delays 	 Child ingests illegal or harmful substance

	 Utilities not working 	 Domestic violence in the residence

	 Chemical or cooking elements from drug lab in the 

residence

	 Child imitates inappropriate and/or negative adult 

behavior
20 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

What other types of evidence should professionals 

consider when observing children?

● Evidence of sexual abuse: child makes an outcry or 

has disclosed; child has injuries to genitals; child 

has knowledge above their age about sex or sexual 

activity; etc. 

● Evidence of emotional problems

● Evidence of behavioral problems

● Evidence of cognitive problems

Examples of emotional problems of the child

	 Attachment disorder 	 Acting out

	 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 	 Attaching to strangers too easily

	 Anxiety 	 Mistrust or fear of others

	 Depression 	 Withdrawal

	 Complex emotions (e.g. guilt, shame, embarrassment) 	 Sleep disorders (e.g. nightmares, restlessness, 

insomnia)

	 Difficult time understanding or sharing their emotions 

(e.g. love, anger, guilt, sadness)

	 Low threshold of stimulation (e.g. overwhelmed with 

normal light or noise levels)

Examples of behavioral problems of the child

	 Interpersonal problems 	 Impulsive 

	 Child seriously misbehaves (e.g. belligerent, 

destructive, threatening, physically cruel, deceitful, 

disobedient, dishonest, aggressive)

	 Inappropriate sexual behaviors or sexually acts out

Examples of cognitive problems of the child

	 Difficulty talking and listening 	 Trouble learning from mistakes

	 Difficulty paying attention 	 Trouble picking up social cues (e.g. unable to read 

others’ emotions)

	 Difficulty remembering 	 Poor communication skills

	 Trouble reading 	 Educational delays

	 Preoccupied or tired 	 Poor school achievement 
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 21

Building and Participating in a Local DEC Alliance

National DEC has developed a road map and toolkit 

to assist communities in building a local DEC alliance; 

these will assist in walking professionals through the process and providing worksheets and tools along the way. 

Forming a local DEC alliance comprises three stages, 

although the stages will not be linear; you will find 

that you may be doing a little in each stage at one 

time. The three stages are Awareness, Implementation, 

and Institutionalization, and each has some steps 

that are listed in figure 1. You can find more out about 

these steps and tools on the National DEC website 

at www.nationaldec.org. 

Figure 1. Forming a local DEC alliance

FORMING A LOCAL DEC ALLIANCE

Awareness

 Create awareness of 

the problem

 Identify leadership

 Identify interested 

stakeholders

 Basic awareness training

 Initiate needs & resources

assessment (community 

assessment)

 Connect with 

National DEC

Implementation

 Continued awareness 

training

 Engage leadership and 

stakeholders

 DEC Approach training

 Complete needs & resources 

assessment (community 

assessment)

 Identify disciplines involved

 Connect with National DEC

Institutionalization

 Continued Awareness & DEC 

Approach trainings

 Local DEC development training

 Train trainers within community

 Develop protocols

 Establish MOU’s

 Conduct regular meetings

 Continue to reassess

 Connect with National DEC

Awareness

The awareness phase resembles a startup; it is the nuts and 

bolts and will be your foundation moving forward. This 

phase is an opportunity to get to know your community, 

your partners, and other disciplines and to start forming 

ideas. This is also the phase where education and knowledge will be key. 

National DEC has created the Identifying Key People 

and Disciplines Worksheet along with the Community 

Assessment Worksheet to assist you in this phase. These 

will provide you with insight about yourself, others, and 

your community. Both worksheets can be found on the 

National DEC website at www.nationaldec.org.
22 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

The mobilization, implementation, and sustainability of 

the DEC response model at the local, tribal, state, and 

national or federal levels, as well as within organizations, 

require public awareness and support. To maximize effectiveness, a DEC alliance should help develop public 

awareness about drug endangered children, about the 

DEC approach, and about the DEC alliance. This awareness could be achieved through presentations, trainings, 

publications, and brochures.

National DEC has developed a Core DEC Awareness 

training curriculum that effectively highlights the risks 

faced by drug endangered children and delineates a collaborative intervention response model. A 90-minute version of this training is available on National DEC’s website. 

The website also contains information about other online 

versions of our Core DEC Awareness training and other 

resources about the risks faced by children and the effectiveness of the collaborative response. These resources are 

available for you to download at www.nationaldec.org. 

Creating public awareness through the delivery of DEC 

training and the dissemination of publications, brochures, 

and promising practices is a critical step in developing sustainable DEC efforts.

Implementation

The implementation phase will be a continuation of some 

of the awareness features along with more in-depth training and discussions. The DEC Approach Implementation 

Training will get disciplines talking about frustrations and 

sharing with others along with talking about solutions 

within their community. 

This phase of the DEC training will delve deeper into the 

Identification of Key People and Disciplines Worksheet and 

Community Assessment Worksheet. It will also be the time 

for law enforcement and others to implement some of the 

changes they learn about in the training and begin using the 

worksheets and tools that will assist them in the field. 

Discussion Points

•	 Are we ready to establish a local DEC alliance?

•	 Are all community DEC stakeholders identified? 

•	 Who else can we involve? 

•	 Minimally, who do we need at the table to be successful?

•	 Who do we want at the table after we are established? 

•	 How and when do we bring other disciplines into the 

DEC alliance?

•	 Have we established roles for stakeholders in the 

DEC alliance?

Institutionalization

You will know when you are in the institutionalization phase 

as the DEC approach will feel more like everyday practice. This phase will continue the training and knowledge 

from the two prior phases, but it will add the Local DEC 

Development Training, the Train-the-Trainer Training, 

and the start of the development of protocols, memoranda 

of understanding (MOU), and bylaws. National DEC has 

developed a Protocol Development Worksheet along with 

example protocols, MOUs, and bylaws from across the 

nation to assist in this process. 
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 23

Protocols, MOUs, and bylaws

The members of the local DEC alliance will establish the 

protocols, MOUs, and bylaws. Having the practitioners 

who will make use of these resources develop them will 

give the documents credibility and the practitioners ownership of their DEC efforts.

Protocols will include detailed information regarding the 

DEC alliance mission or purpose statement, goals, and 

procedures. These will likely be detailed explanations of 

each discipline’s part in the DEC alliance.

Protocols will include detailed information regarding the 

DEC alliance mission or purpose statement, goals, and 

procedures. These protocols will likely be detailed explanations of each discipline’s part in the DEC alliance.

● Mission or purpose statement. A mission or purpose 

statement spells out in general terms what the alliance 

hopes to accomplish over time.

● Goals. These would be specific to each discipline and 

would outline what each discipline is supposed to be 

doing to support the mission or purpose statement. The 

goals should be measurable, achievable, and shared. 

● Procedures. These would be a description of how 

each discipline will handle drug endangered children, 

so every discipline understands their roles and 

responsibilities. 

MOUs will establish formalized partnerships with other 

disciplines. This will assist in making sure that no one is 

dropping the ball as well as assist in keeping efforts going. 

Bylaws will include specific information regarding rules 

that the DEC alliance will follow. These will include 

membership, members, voting rights, meetings, and other 

regulatory requirements. Bylaws will provide structure 

within the alliance. 

Discussion Points

•	 Do we have an agreement about the objectives of our DEC 

effort?

•	 Do we understand the individual roles and combined objectives of the stakeholders, community members and providers, and other professionals?

Other things to think about

Communication

Each member of the DEC alliance must openly acknowledge each discipline’s individual mission, refrain from 

being controlling or egocentric, share resources, and agree 

upon doable common goals. Open communication among 

alliance members is a must in keeping the alliance running smoothly. When conflicts arise, resolution needs to be 

sought out quickly.

Discussion Points

•	 How do we establish a communication framework? DEC efforts 

should establish formal and informal communication mechanisms. The local service providers need to be able to discuss and evaluate DEC efforts, 

and there is often a need to share information with the state DEC alliance.

•	 Are we communicating to reduce conflict? An effective communication structure is necessary to prevent conflict from overshadowing the 

benefits to a collaborative DEC alliance.

•	 Are we sharing our DEC success stories to build momentum? 

One of the keys to establishing and maintaining a DEC effort is the ability 

to celebrate the small victories along the way. Stakeholders will likely 

begin to learn more about children and families and the full scope of 

tools to address their complex problems. Whenever a DEC intervention 

results in positive outcomes for children or their families, everyone can 

become excited and use these experiences to fuel the DEC approach.
24 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Policy support

At some point in the establishment of a DEC alliance, 

individual agencies should consider formally adopting 

policies to reinforce DEC objectives. The policy support 

becomes important when looking at funding the DEC 

alliance and it will also help institutionalize the DEC 

approaches throughout the state.

Discussion Points

•	 Do our stakeholders have individual agency DEC policies? 

•	 Do we collectively have protocols to support our DEC efforts? 

Memorandum of Understanding agreements can also be 

helpful in establishing the structure for multidisciplinary 

collaboration.

•	 Do we have public policy (laws) that support our DEC objectives? Laws that both acknowledge criminal conduct and 

child maltreatment for DEC situations can help considerably 

with removing barriers between service providers.

Steps for starting a DEC alliance

The following section will go through some common elements and questions to help you build your own DEC 

alliance. 

Stakeholders suggested for starting a DEC alliance 

include the following:

● Law enforcement

● Child welfare

● Criminal Prosecutors Office

● Civil Prosecutors Office

● Medical (doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, etc.) 

Bring only a few disciplines to the table to start, and then 

slowly add in more disciplines as the alliance evolves. 

Examples of other disciplines to bring to the alliance 

include the following:

● Probation/parole

● Judicial/courts

● Victim service advocates

● Fire and EMS

● Service providers

● Schools/educators

● Substance abuse, mental health, and other treatment 

providers

Questions to ask prior to the initial meeting include the 

following:

● Who do we bring to the table?

● How do we mend broken fences?

● How do we help them understand/believe?

● How do we make this work?

● How do we make a DEC response everyone’s 

responsibility? 

● How long will this take?

● How do we build working relationships?

Work for the initial meeting includes the following:

● Each discipline makes two lists of five items each. 

One list explains why that discipline wants to be 

involved in the DEC alliance. The other list explains 

what that discipline can provide to the DEC alliance. 

See table 1.

● At the initial meeting, these lists need to be displayed 

and discussed in detail. 

● The initial meeting should also address or come 

close to addressing what every member would like to 

see addressed by this DEC alliance.
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 25

First steps following the initial meeting include the 

following:

● Develop protocols, MOUs, and bylaws—keep them 

realistic and simple—don’t make them work against 

the alliance.

● Stress open and honest communication always. If a 

member cannot agree to communicate honestly and 

give and receive constructive feedback, an alternate 

person may need to be sought out. 

The protocols are a living document and should be 

reviewed often and updated as needed. When the alliance 

is reviewing and assessing if updates are needed, it is a 

good time to ask the following questions:

● Are the current protocols working?

● Are the current protocols realistic?

● Do we need to adjust any of the protocols?

Common elements for change to keep in mind include 

the following:

● Recognition of an unacceptable situation. All 

alliance members understand and believe that 

“Children + drugs = risk.” 

● Alliance members should have similar 

understandings of definitions, goals, vision, etc.

These will be reviewed along with protocols as 

needed. 

● Shared vision for a desired outcome. All alliance 

members understand the outcome is safe children 

through identification, evidence collection, and 

collaboration.

● Strong leadership. All alliance members are 

strong leaders in all aspects. They are leaders in 

their communities and within their disciplines and 

therefore strong leaders within the alliance. 

● Guided activities of many. All alliance members 

understand that collaboration is a key component of 

the DEC alliance and the DEC approach. 

● Never give up. Alliance members understand that 

there will be challenges along the way and are 

dedicated to solving problems and working through 

difficult times. 

Table 1. Sample table

Why my discipline wants to be involved in 

DEC alliance

What my discipline can provide to DEC alliance

Example: Better collaboration with other agencies Example: Law enforcement has internal data base
26 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Sustaining a Local DEC Alliance

Why is sustainability important?

While working on all the components of starting a local 

DEC alliance, getting things up a running, and formalizing productive working relationships through protocols 

and MOUs, it is also important to be thinking about how 

to sustain the collaborative effort being established. We’ve 

all been involved with multidisciplinary teams, partnerships, team meetings, and other joint efforts that started 

off with great energy and enthusiasm but, with the passing of time, became stagnant and just another meeting or 

task on our overloaded to-do list. But the Collaborative 

DEC Approach is not a phase or a fad or something that 

is completed in a certain period. We know that there will 

always be children at risk because of their caregiver’s substance misuse and one of the goals of the DEC mission 

is to continue to figure out how to be as effective as possible in helping identify these children and their families 

and to provide the support and services they need. A local 

DEC alliance should be designed to be sustainable and 

designed to challenge local practitioners on an ongoing 

basis to enhance their collaborative efforts. 

How do we ensure sustainability?

The protocols and MOUs discussed here are a key component of an effective local DEC alliance, but they should be 

drafted with sustainability in mind. They should include 

provisions that provide continuity when some of the key 

players leave their positions or retire—that’s not a time 

to have to start over from scratch. They should include 

provisions that consider that the agencies involved may 

reorganize or have new managers or directors. And they 

should require regular assessment and re-assessment based 

on careful case reviews with the practitioners involved. 

This expectation and preparation for change, along with 

the commitment to regular self-assessment, evaluation 

of impacts, and improvements to practice, build into the 

alliance the values and attitudes necessary to sustain longterm efforts. 

What else can help sustainability? 

Local DEC alliance steering committee

A steering committee for a local DEC alliance made up of 

different disciplines and agencies helps guarantee that the 

focus of the work of the alliance is less about individual 

champions and more about the mission of helping drug 

endangered children. A diverse steering committee will 

bring different perspectives, approaches, challenges, and 

solutions out into the open. And the members of a steering committee with a shared vision and common goals 

will hold each other accountable for identifying practical 

solutions and producing results. 

Partnership with state DEC alliance

For local alliances in states that have a state alliance, a 

strong partnership with the state alliance can greatly assist 

sustainability of the local alliance. The state alliance can 

provide information about lessons learned and best practices from other local alliances to help overcome challenges and leverage opportunities. With the state alliance 

connected to National DEC, the experience of local alliances from across the country can be used to enhance the 

efforts of your local alliance. The state alliance, in partnership with National DEC, can provide resources, opportunities for training, and access to a national network of likeminded practitioners. State alliances often have steering 
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 27

committees of their own, and volunteering to serve on 

the state steering committee can reap huge benefits with 

networking and problem solving. If the state alliance convenes an annual conference, there may be opportunities 

to showcase the work of the local alliance and build further interest and support. This sharing of experience can 

create statewide connections and a friendly professional 

competition to build effective local alliances. 

Laws and policies that support the collaborative DEC 

approach

The efforts of dedicated and passionate professionals can 

do much to create, build, and sustain a local DEC alliance. Collaboration requires a willingness to consider new 

ways of doing things and changes in working relationships 

and collaboration by itself doesn’t cost money. Practitioners in the field have a wealth of practical insights about 

what isn’t working well and often many ideas about how 

to improve things. With a bit of support from managers 

and directors, much can be accomplished through a local 

DEC alliance. These efforts can be enforced and institutionalized by supportive laws and policies related to the 

work of the DEC alliance. Policies highlighting collaboration, evaluations of efforts, and self-assessment can help 

firmly establish the enduring nature of the DEC alliance 

and ensure sustainability. 

Is sustainability about building empires?

Sustainability isn’t about creating big structures or 

bureaucracies. Sustainability simply reinforces the DEC 

approach—a common vision, ongoing collaboration, 

and ongoing change. The common vision of 100 percent healthy, happy, and safe children will never become 

outdated. Collaboration that is constantly evaluated and 

self-assessed will always be a key part of the solution to 

achieve the common vision. And ongoing change will be 

essential to ensure the DEC efforts are effective over time 

in response to new challenges and circumstances. 
28 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

Additional Resources Available from National DEC

The National DEC website has a wealth of information 

about the issue of drug endangered children, the DEC 

approach, and local DEC alliance developmewnt. The 

following resources can be found at www.nationaldec.org.

National DEC’s core DEC online trainings

90-minute Community DEC Awareness Training Videos 

(National DEC Four-Module Tribal Core DEC – 

OJJDP On-Line University https://www.nationaldec.org/

awareness

National DEC Six Module Video Online DEC 

Training – Miami Police Department Training Center 

https://www.awsmproductions.com/MiamiPolice-Training-Center/Training-Courses/

Miami-Core-DEC-Training/

National DEC publications 

Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement: 

Key Insights for Partnering with Child Welfare, Medical 

Providers, Treatment Providers, Prosecutors, and Civil 

Attorneys: 

https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=

COPS-P293

Promising Practices for Helping Drug Endangered 

Children – Paths to a Common Vision 

https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=

COPS-P294

Roadmap for Building a Local DEC Alliance 

https://www.nationaldec.org/road

Online resource center downloadable reports, 

articles, protocols, and other resources

National DEC online resource center 

(https://www.nationaldec.org/)

Here are a few examples of the types of resources available, which can be accessed by entering the title or key 

words of the publication in the “A to Z Resources” search 

box:

● “Child abuse reported to the police”

● “Consequences of illicit drug use in America”

● “Drug Endangered Children Act”

● “Hazards of grow houses”

● “Is meth next door?”

● “Marijuana legalization: The issues”

● “Multidisciplinary protocol for the investigation of 

child abuse”

● “National Methamphetamine Initiative survey: The 

status of the methamphetamine threat and impact on 

Indian lands: An analysis”

● “New unregulated psychoactive substances marketed 

as ‘bath salts’”

● “One-pot meth alert”

● “Protecting the abused & neglected child: A guide for 

recognizing & reporting child abuse & neglect”

● “Situation Report: Synthetic cathinones (bath salts): 

An emerging domestic threat”

● “Understanding the scope of drug endangered 

children victims: A need for data collection within law 

enforcement and child protective services”
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 29

● “What you can do about child abuse”

● “SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit”

● “Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription 

Drug Abuse Crisis”

DEC and substance abuse–related 

downloadable webinars

National DEC provides DEC-related professional 

development webinars for practitioners from all over 

the country. These webinars are currently available for 

subsequent viewing on National DEC’s website: 

National DEC Webinars: https://www.nationaldec.org/

Here are a few examples of the webinars available: 

● Defending Childhood Initiative: Addressing 

Childhood Exposure to Violence

● An Overview of Bath Salts and Other Synthetic Drugs 

from Law Enforcement and Medical Perspectives

● Breaking Through Barriers: Connecticut’s 

Collaborative Response to Children and Families

● National Medical Guideline for Children Removed 

from Meth Labs

● Tribal Law Enforcement and DEC

● Drug Identification

● Skin Findings in Child Physical Abuse

● Health Risks Associated with Indoor Marijuana Grow 

Operations and the Impact on Children

Social media information

Because people look at and gather information from 

different platforms, National DEC recognizes the need 

for providing information on different platforms. Along 

with National DEC’s other resources, National DEC 

also provides an abundance of information and resources 

around drug endangered children and substance abuse 

on social media. Daily posts about training events, conferences, and webinars as well as stories about the impact of 

substance abuse on children, families, and communities 

are also available by following National DEC on social 

media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.comNationalDEC4Kids/

Twitter: @NationalDEC

LinkedIn: National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children https://www.linkedin.com/company/27197259/
30 Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement

About National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children 

The National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children 

(National DEC) exists to make a difference in the lives of drug 

endangered children, whom we define as “children who are at 

risk of suffering physical or emotional harm because of illegal 

drug use, possession, manufacturing, cultivation, or distribution. 

They may also be children whose caretaker’s substance misuse 

interferes with the caretaker’s ability to parent and provide a safe 

and nurturing environment.”

National DEC has created three tiers of training, activities, and 

facilitation—(1) Core DEC Awareness, (2) DEC Approach, 

and (3) Local DEC Development—which assist professionals 

working in a variety of disciplines—including law enforcement, 

judiciary, child welfare, prosecution, medical, treatment, prevention, education, probation, parole, corrections, EMS, fire, 

and many more—in changing the trajectory of the lives of drug 

endangered children. National DEC believes that all the professionals who can identify a child at risk of abuse and neglect 

because of drug activity should be trained in understanding 

what to look for, how to document the risks, and how to work 

collaboratively.

National DEC has established a national infrastructure that 

includes affiliated state DEC alliances and numerous tribal and 

local DEC alliances. Thousands of practitioners have received 

DEC training in their communities and hundreds of tribal and 

nontribal professionals around the nation from various disciplines are trained as National DEC certified trainers in Core 

DEC Awareness and the DEC Approach. These professionals 

provide training to many others to help expand the DEC mission. National DEC also maintains working partnerships with 

federal agencies, as well as tribal, local, national, and international organizations.

National DEC’s work includes the following:

● Providing technical assistance to local, tribal, and state 

DEC efforts both nationally and internationally

● Developing and delivering in person training for 

professionals across disciplines to increase their expertise 

and enhance their work with drug endangered children

● Developing various training methods such as online, video, 

and phone application trainings to increase outreach to 

more professionals

● Developing and disseminating resources and tools that 

assist in addressing the needs of drug endangered children

● Increasing public awareness about the risks faced by drug 

endangered children

● An online resource center that includes hundreds of 

downloadable publications, protocols, and templates

● Professional webinars, a monthly newsletter, and daily 

social media updates

● An annual conference attended by hundreds of federal, 

state, tribal, local law enforcement and other professionals

● A growing number of national partners who support our 

training program and spread the DEC mission

All National DEC’s resources, webinars, technical assistance, 

and training can be accessed through the National DEC website: www.nationaldec.org.

Information about training events, conferences, webinars as well 

as stories about the impact of substance abuse on children, families, and communities is also available by following National 

DEC on social media:

● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalDEC4Kids/

● Twitter: @NationalDEC

● LinkedIn: National Alliance for Drug Endangered 

Children https://www.linkedin.com/company/27197259/
Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement 31

About the COPS Office

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS 

Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice 

responsible for advancing the practice of community policing 

by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources.

Community policing begins with a commitment to building 

trust and mutual respect between police and communities. It 

supports public safety by encouraging all stakeholders to work 

together to address our nation’s crime challenges. When police 

and communities collaborate, they more effectively address 

underlying issues, change negative behavioral patterns, and 

allocate resources. 

Rather than simply responding to crime, community policing focuses on preventing it through strategic problem-solving 

approaches based on collaboration. The COPS Office awards 

grants to hire community policing officers and support the 

development and testing of innovative policing strategies. COPS 

Office funding also provides training and technical assistance to 

community members and local government leaders, as well as 

all levels of law enforcement. 

Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to add community policing officers to the nation’s streets, 

enhance crime fighting technology, support crime prevention 

initiatives, and provide training and technical assistance to help 

advance community policing. Other achievements include the

following:

● To date, the COPS Office has funded the hiring of 

approximately 130,000 additional officers by more than 

13,000 of the nation’s 18,000 law enforcement agencies in 

both small and large jurisdictions.

● Nearly 700,000 law enforcement personnel, community 

members, and government leaders have been trained 

through COPS Office–funded training organizations.

● To date, the COPS Office has distributed more than eight 

million topic-specific publications, training curricula, white 

papers, and resource CDs and flash drives.

● The COPS Office also sponsors conferences, round 

tables, and other forums focused on issues critical to law 

enforcement.

COPS Office information resources, covering a wide range of 

community policing topics such as school and campus safety, 

violent crime, and officer safety and wellness, can be downloaded via the COPS Office’s home page, www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

This website is also the grant application portal, providing access 

to online application forms.
It is estimated that more than 9 million children live in 

homes where a parent or other adult uses illegal drugs.

This exposure leaves them vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Identifying and responding to 

these drug endangered children needs to be a central part of law enforcement’s mission 

to serve and protect. The Drug Endangered Children Guide for Law Enforcement offers 

law enforcement professionals practical information on how to develop an effective 

collaborative response to this complicated issue and make a positive impact on the lives of 

drug endangered children.

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

145 N Street NE

Washington, DC 20530

To obtain details on COPS Office programs, 

call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770.

Visit the COPS Office online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

FOR DRUG ENDANGERED CHILDREN

National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children 

9101 Harlan Street, Suite 245

Westminster, CO 80031

www.nationaldec.org

e011324541

Published 2013

Revised 2015

Second edition 2020